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Project Summary
Super Random Heroes is the game where you get random superpowers every time you play. It takes the mega-popular superhero genre into a new space with hilarious powers and hero quirks. It does this by seamlessly blending together elements from popular game genres such as action RPG’s, and rogue-likes.
The gameplay of Super Random Heroes has three main draws:
- Limitless Variety
We allow players to constantly try new powers and combine powers together in interesting ways. This means that every time you play Super Random Heroes you have an experience that is uniquely your own. How do you want to use your powers? What powers will you combine together? Do you want a belly flop that spawns fire banana peels? The choice is yours.
- Humour in Every Corner
Every part of Super Random Heroes is treated as a new opportunity to make players smile. Why throw a boring old fire ball when you can vomit lava all over your enemies. Why just walk when you can turn into a hammer and launch yourself over any obstacle.
- A New Superhero Experience
Super Random Heroes is filled with nods and references to Superhero culture and tropes. Any fans of comic books and Superheroes will be right at home in this fresh take on the idea of caped crusaders.
Story
An evil mega-corporation has created “Super Booths” in an effort to cash in on the overwhelming superhero trend. These Super Booths are cheaply made and very faulty, often giving users less than desirable abilities with extreme side effects. A consumer might be expecting to fly and instead get the power to throw bananas that will occasionally burst into flames. You play as an upset customer who has started to revolt; fighting your way up the corporate ladder in demand of a refund and the powers of your dreams.
Narrative Through Level Design
Each level in Super Random Heroes will be a research department of this evil corporation, dedicated to researching different types of powers. For instance, fire powers might be developed in the lava department. This design choice offers some backstory to the powers and seeing a new power can foreshadow what levels the player might see in the future.
Narrative Through Audio Voice-Overs
Each department is lead by the department head, a.k.a. the department’s boss. As the player traverses through levels leading up to the boss, the boss will shout commands to their employees or taunt the player through a P.A. system. This is can be used to relay additional backstory, give the player combat hints, and establish the tone of the game.
Game Features
Superpower System
The core mechanic of the game, this allows the player to customize their character as they progress through the game. Players are given random powers but are able to choose the way they equip those powers. When powers are combined together they can create unique playstyles that can benefit different combat scenarios, encouraging players to experiment with new strategies each time they play the game.
The system features three (3) slot types that players may place their powers in. The function of powers can differ wildly depending on which slot they place their power in:
Primary
This is the primary attack for the player. A superpower will be most offensively powerful when assigned to this slot. For example, a banana power equipped to a primary slot will allow the player to throw banana boomerangs capable of ricocheting off walls to damage large groups of enemies.
Secondary
This offers a unique use of the power. While some may offer a secondary offensive ability, they will predominantly offer the player a utility skill such as improved movement, or a temporary shield. For example, a banana power equipped to a secondary slot will grant the player the ability to surf on a banana board for increased speed and maneuverability.
Modifier
These are extensions that can be put on top of a primary or secondary ability. When a power is assigned to a modifier, it will add attributes of that power to the original ability. For example, if the fire power is added as a modifier to a banana boomerang, the “banana-rang” will light bad guys on fire in addition to its regular damage.
Progression
Powers
As players find super booths in the environment they will be able to gain new powers. Each time a player collects a new power they will be able to assign it to one of the previously mentioned slots, building a unique and powerful character as they progress through the game. Throughout the game players will earn access to new powers, rewarding them with new possibilities to experiment with.
Level Structure
Levels in Super Random Heroes are referred to as departments. A department is made up of three (3) floors. The first two (2) floors will be standard levels where the player will be required to utilize various powers to defeat enemies while in search of the elevator to the next floor. The third floor is similar to the first two (2) but will feature a boss fight at the end. While the same amount of playtime could be achieved through a single floor for each department, this division across three (3) floors creates a stronger sense of progression for the player by giving them more frequent milestones to accomplish.
Creative Strength
Experimentation is the focus of the game, and is the driving force that encourages players to try diverse strategies and playstyles each time they pick up the game. The struggle with traditional action RPG’s in this space is the inherent grind required for players to experiment with different ability combinations. In Super Random Heroes, we encourage experimentation immediately by allowing players to combine abilities in unique and interesting ways without requiring players to log several hours of gameplay. The result is a much more approachable game that can be enjoyed by a casual audience, while still offering enough layers of depth for more dedicated gamers to dive into.
Current Status
Super Random Heroes is coming to the end of its vertical slice stage of development. We have established all major tech systems, art direction, art pipeline, and core design decisions. We will be entering full production in the coming months.
Target Platforms
Super Random Heroes is targeted towards all three current generation consoles and Steam. OddBird has already established a working relationship with Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, and Valve. We have already released our game “Arrow Heads” on Steam and are currently working towards releasing it on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. As such, the connections exist to bring Super Random Heroes to all of these platforms as well